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Michael Badgley

Bears Audition Michael Badgley, Josh Lambo

September 30th, 2022 at 2:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears may need a kicker for their Week 4 game, and they are turning to the workout circuit to find a fill-in option. The team excused Cairo Santos from practice Thursday for personal reasons, per the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, and the veteran specialist was not there Friday.

With no kicker currently on the Bears’ 16-man practice squad, outside help appears necessary. Michael Badgley, Josh Lambo and Brian Johnson took part in a Friday workout, Biggs adds (via Twitter). Santos, 31, has been the Bears’ kicker since 2020. Via the three-year extension he signed in 2021, Santos is signed through the 2024 season.

Badgley, Lambo and Johnson kicked in the NFL last season. None entered this season with a gig. Both Lambo and Badgley began their careers with the Chargers; Badgley played as a Colts replacement option last season, while Lambo was with the Jaguars from 2017-21. The team moved in a different direction this year, ditching both Lambo and top 2021 option Matthew Wright.

Lambo, 31, only kicked in seven Jaguars games from 2020-21 but was the team’s full-timer for most of Doug Marrone‘s HC tenure. He led the NFL with a 97% make rate during his most recent full season (2019), going 33-for-34, but missed each of his three field goal tries last season. Lambo’s Jacksonville stay represents his longest as a pro; it will likely be most remembered for his Urban Meyer conflict. Lambo has sued the Jags, alleging Meyer kicked him while he was warming up for a preseason game. Jacksonville released Lambo in October 2021.

Signed to replace an injured Rodrigo Blankenship midway through last season, Badgley made 86% of his tries (18 of 21) in Indianapolis. One of the Saints’ four options in their Wil Lutz-less season, Johnson also kicked for Washington in 2021. Johnson has yet to miss a field goal as a pro, going 10-for-10 as a rookie. This has been a two-workout week for Badgley, who auditioned for the Chiefs with ex-Jags teammate Wright. The latter landed the job — a spot on Kansas City’s P-squad.

Chiefs To Add K Matthew Wright

September 27th, 2022 at 5:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chiefs identified their Matt Ammendola replacement. They are adding former Jaguars kicker Matthew Wright to their practice squad, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Wright will move into position as Kansas City’s Harrison Butker fill-in leg. It is not known if Butker will be able to return for Week 4, after missing the past two games, but the Chiefs decided Ammendola — after two short-range misses in Sunday’s loss to the Colts — was not the answer.

The Jaguars waived Wright earlier this year, after he spent most of last season as their kicker. Wright, 26, made 21 of 24 field goal tries during his Jags tenure. His most notable contribution came during the team’s most recent London game, which involved two Wright 50-plus-yard makes in the fourth quarter. That effort gave Urban Meyer the first of his two NFL wins, but the Jags replaced Wright this year. While Jacksonville has encountered trouble staffing its kicker gig in the months following Wright’s May exit, this marks his first opportunity since that departure.

Ammendola kicked in two games for the Chiefs this season. After making each of his five kicks (two field goals, three extra points), the former Jet missed a PAT and a 34-yard field goal Sunday in Indianapolis. Each of Wright’s three 2021 misses came from beyond 40 yards. He was 4-for-6 from beyond 50.

The Chiefs have been without Butker since Week 1, when he suffered an ankle injury early in Kansas City’s win in Arizona. Although the team used safety Justin Reid as its emergency kicker against the Cardinals, it naturally opted for trained NFL legs since. Michael Badgley also participated in the workout that led to Wright’s signing. Badgley spent most of last season with the Colts, having been the team’s Rodrigo Blankenship injury replacement.

Colts To Waive Rodrigo Blankenship, Add Two Kickers To Practice Squad

September 13th, 2022 at 2:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Back after missing most of last season, Rodrigo Blankenship missed a crucial field goal that would have avoided the Colts’ first tie in 40 years. The team is now moving on from the third-year kicker.

Indianapolis is waiving Blankenship Tuesday, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The team may be set to hold a pre-Week 2 practice competition. Chase McLaughlin and Lucas Havrisik are signing to the Colts’ practice squad, Pelissero adds (via Twitter). Former Jaguars Matthew Wright and Josh Lambo also worked out for the team Tuesday, per the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson (Twitter links).

This will mark an Indiana return to Indianapolis for McLaughlin, whom the team used during part of the 2019 season. An an Adam Vinatieri injury brought in McLaughlin, who had already kicked in games for the Chargers and 49ers that year. McLaughlin finished the season with the Colts, who replaced him with Blankenship in 2020. McLaughlin went 5-for-6 on field goals with Indy in 2019. He was 15-for-21 in 16 Browns games last season. A UDFA rookie out of Arizona, Havrisik was the Wildcats’ kicker for most of the past five seasons. His two 57-yard makes in college double as the Pac-12 program’s record. Havrisik also participated in the Colts’ rookie minicamp this year.

In addition to his 42-yard overtime miss, Blankenship sent two kickoffs — his final regulation kick and the overtime opener — out of bounds. The Texans scored on neither of the ensuing drives, but some with the Colts were more frustrated with those sequences than the OT field goal miss, The Athletic’s Zak Keefer tweets.

Blankenship has not been the Colts’ primary kickoff man for most of his career. Longtime punter Rigoberto Sanchez handled those duties when available. The latter going down during a training camp practice led to the Colts signing Matt Haack but using their kicker as their kickoff man in Week 1.

Last season, the Colts placed Blankenship on IR — after his injury in Baltimore contributed to a Monday-night collapse — and used Michael Badgley as their kicker in the final 12 games. The team did not bring Badgley to training camp, however, with Keefer adding it viewed rookie UDFA Jake Verity as the higher-upside choice (Twitter link). The Colts waived Verity as they moved their roster to 53.

A former four-year Georgia Bulldogs kicker, Blankenship signed with the Colts as a 2020 UDFA. Blankenship made 87% of his field goals as a rookie, though he was 1-for-3 from beyond 50 yards. This will be the third time in four seasons the Colts will have needed to make an in-season kicker switch. Vinatieri’s early-season struggles in 2019 led to a late-season surgery, beginning the stretch of uncertainty. Prior to that, the most notable in-season kicker change the Colts had made occurred back in 2009, when a Vinatieri injury prompted the eventual AFC champions to sign Matt Stover. Excepting the Stover year, the Colts used two kickers from 1998-2010 — Mike Vanderjagt and Vinatieri.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/19/21

October 19th, 2021 at 12:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Colts Activate WR T.Y. Hilton, Place K Rodrigo Blankenship On IR

October 16th, 2021 at 11:58am CST by Ben Levine

T.Y. Hilton is set to make his 2021 debut tomorrow against the Texans. The veteran wideout has officially been activated from injured reserve, reports Aaron Wilson (via Twitter). The team also placed kicker Rodrigo Blankenship on IR and promoted kicker Michael Badgley and safety Jordan Lucas from the practice squad.

The Colts placed Hilton on IR before Week 1, and he underwent surgery after suffering a neck injury in practice. The 31-year-old returned to practice earlier this week, an indication that he was close to returning to the field. The veteran hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2018, but he’ll still provide Carson Wentz with a reliable target. Hilton finished the 2020 campaign with 56 receptions for 762 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games.

Blankenship’s hip pain played a major factor in the Colts blowing a 19-point lead Monday night, as the second-year kicker missed an extra point and two field goals in an Indianapolis overtime loss. Ultimately, that injury will land Blankenship on IR, and the team will turn to their recent practice squad acquisition. Badgley is best known for his three-year Chargers stint, as the Money Badger kicked in 34 games for the Bolts from 2018-20. He made 94% of his field goal attempts as a rookie but connected on less than 73% of his tries in 16 games last season. The Titans cut Badgley after he missed a field goal and an extra point in Week 1.

Lucas joined the Colts practice squad in late September. The defensive back opted out of the 2020 campaign, but he previously appeared in 30 games for the Chiefs between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/14/21

October 14th, 2021 at 3:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Carolina Panthers

Kansas City Chiefs

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

San Francisco 49ers

Colts To Sign K Michael Badgley

October 13th, 2021 at 2:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts’ kicker workout will lead to a signing. Michael Badgley agreed to terms to return to Indianapolis, per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). He will join Indianapolis’ practice squad and serve as the backup option to Rodrigo Blankenship, who is battling a hip injury.

Badgley joined Brett Maher, Aldrick Rosas and Riley Patterson for the Wednesday audition. The Colts summoning Badgley for a physical was a fairly clear indicator he would be the pick, and they are bringing him back into the fold. Badgley began his career with the Colts, signing with the team as a UDFA in 2018. The Colts cut him after training camp, however, with Adam Vinatieri still thriving at that point.

An ex-Miami Hurricane, Badgley is best known for his three-year Chargers stint. The Money Badger kicked in 34 games for the Bolts from 2018-20. He made 94% of his field goal attempts as a rookie but connected on less than 73% of his tries in 16 games last season. The Titans cut Badgley after he missed a field goal and an extra point in Week 1.

Blankenship’s hip pain played a major factor in the Colts blowing a 19-point lead Monday night. The second-year kicker missed an extra point and two field goals in Indianapolis overtime loss. The Colts may well require their new emergency kicker’s assistance this week.

Colts Working Out 4 Kickers

October 13th, 2021 at 9:51am CST by Sam Robinson

Rodrigo Blankenship‘s hip injury played a role in the Colts’ collapse Monday night, and the team is looking into temporary replacements. Michael Badgley and Brett Maher are working out for the Colts on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Indianapolis might not stop with just these two for workouts, Rapoport notes, with Blankenship in jeopardy of missing time. But for now, these are the free agents the Colts have identified as their top fill-in options. Blankenship, who arrived in Indy as a UDFA last year, has not missed a game yet as a pro.

The Colts are expanding this workout, with Tom Pelissero of NFL.com adding that Aldrick Rosas and Riley Patterson are also part of the audition (Twitter link). The Saints released Rosas earlier this month, while Patterson — a four-year kicker at Memphis — is a rookie UDFA who has yet to make his NFL debut.

The team gave Badgley a physical, according to the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson (on Twitter), potentially a sign he won the competition. But no signing has as of yet taken place.

Badgley, 26, kicked in one game for the Titans this season but could not hold the job. Tennessee cut him after he missed a field goal and an extra point in a Week 1 loss to Arizona. While Badgley is best known for his three-year run as the Chargers’ kicker, he entered the NFL in 2018 as a Colts UDFA. The Colts waived Badgley after his rookie training camp, with Adam Vinatieri still going strong at that point.

Maher, 31, has not kicked in a regular-season game since the Cowboys cut him late in the 2019 season. The former CFL specialist has, however, caught on with several teams in the many months since. Maher has made stops with the Jets, Washington, Texans, Cardinals and Saints but did not make his way onto any of the teams’ regular-season rosters. Maher, whom New Orleans released with an injury settlement in August, has made three 60-plus-yard field goals during his short NFL career (29 games from 2018-19).

49ers Work Out Kickers

October 5th, 2021 at 2:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers are looking at a group of kickers to potentially fill in for Robbie Gould. Michael Badgley, Brett Maher, and Joey Slye are among those auditioning while the team awaits word on Gould’s groin injury (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero).

[RELATED: 49ers Meet With Mychal Kendricks]

Badgley kicked in 34 Chargers games over the past three years but could not beat out the younger Tristan Vizcaino, in training camp. He had a recent cup of coffee with the Titans but that only lasted for a few days. He made nearly 94% of his attempts as a rookie in 2018 — including a 59-yarder — but saw that number dip to 72.7% in 2020.

Slye saw a brief stint as the Texans’ kicker this year, going 4-for-5 on field goals in three games. He was later released as Ka’imi Fairbairn‘s returned to action.

During his time in Dallas, Maher became the first kicker in NFL history to make three 60-plus-yard field goals, accomplishing this feat during the 2018 and ’19 seasons. However, after he made more than 80% of his field goals in 2018, Maher was just 20-for-30 a year later. He did not kick in 2020 and he did not make the Saints’ cut this summer, but he could have a chance to return in SF.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/13/21

September 13th, 2021 at 11:35am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Las Vegas Raiders

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

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